Bag bundling machine

ABSTRACT

A PAPER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE IS PROVIDED WHICH IS ADAPTED TO REMOVE INDIVIDUAL BAGS PRODUCED BY A BAGMAKING MACHINE, STACK THE BAGS AND COMPRESS THE STACKS WITH THE BAG BOTTOMS FACING UPWARDLY AND THEREAFTER TO CONVEY THE STACKS TO A STATION AT WHICH THE STACKS ARE SUPPERIMPOSED ONE UPON THE OTHER TO FORM A BUNDLE OF EITHER STANDARD CONFIGURATION OR LONG-PACK CONFIGURATION WHICH BUNDLE IS FURTHER COMPRSSED AND THEN BANDED TO RETAIN THE COMPRSSED CONDITION.

Nov. 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1970 19 Sheets-Sheet l QN NR INVENTOR h//LUAM C'. Hefe ze@ BY Lr MV1; Y

ATTORNEYS 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR lvln9m C. KERKEQ if@ 1f f b ATTORNEY N0V- 16 1971 w. c. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1970 Nov. 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER 3,619,976

BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27. 1970 19 Sheets-Sheet 3 lvl INVENTOR WIL/.A444 C KvQM/Q ATTORNEYS Nov. 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1er/o 19 Sheets-Sheet L ImvEN'roR QMS .m 44....

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BAG BUNDLING MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 27. 1970 INVENTOR WH. z. MM C. ,eeuu/fe ATToRNEYs 2 NOV- 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan. 27, 1970 Nov. 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Jan. 2 7. 1970 ATTORNEYS i Nov. 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Jan. 27, 1970 INVENTOR WML/AM C'. ,VAYA/6R BY A d4,

I ATTORNEYS W. C. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Nov. 16, 1971 19 Sheets-Sheet f) Filed Jan. 27, 1970 FIG, 11b

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y. ATTORNEYS 2 Nv. 16, 1971 W, C. KERKER 3,619,976

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BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Filed Jan.` 27. 1970 19 Sheets-Sheot 1l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS NOV. 16, 1971 W. C, KERKER 3,619,976

BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27. 1970 19 Sheets-Sheet 12 @www INVENTOR WML/4M 6'. /fe-QKEQ ATTORNEYS Nov. 16, 1971 w. c. KERKER 3,619,975

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l J D I! 4 [I 4| I l l Y l \l l INVENTOR W/LL/AM C. KEPAE'Q BY L JDM 315 )vv-/w? ATTORNEYS W. C. KERKER BAG BUNDLING MACHINE Nov. 1s, 1971 19 Sheets-Sheet 17 Filed Jan. 27, 1970 I I I I I INVENTOR WML/4M C'. @eve/Vee BY imm/.4.2,

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Nov. 16, 1971 w. C, KERKER "3,619,976

BAG BUNDLING MACHINE INVENTOR #wa/.4M c. Kaw/62 ATTORN EYS United States Patent Ofce 3,619,976 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 3,619,976 BAG BUNDLING MACHINE William C. Kerker, deceased, late of Rye, N.Y., by

Potdevin Machine Co., 200 North St., Teterboro, N.Y. 07608 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 718,292,

Feb. 19, 1968. This application Jan. 27, 1970,

Ser. No. 6,188

(Filed under Rule 47(b) and 35 U.S.C. 118) Int. Cl. B65h 13/20 U.S. Cl. 53-124 C 24 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A paper bag bundling machine is provided which is adapted to remove individual bags produced by a bagmaking machine, stack the bags and compress the stacks lwith the bag bottoms facing upwardly and thereafter to convey the stacks to a station at which the stacks are superimposed one upon the other to form a bundle of either standard configuration or long-pack configuration which bundle is further compressed and then banded to retain the compressed condition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Paper products and particularly bags and envelopes are generally consumed in relatively large numbers and consequently must be supplied to vendors in considerable quantities. Naturally, products of this type are considered bulky and when packaged in bundles both for shipment and storage, an unusually excessive amount of space is taken up, notwithstanding the relative lightness of weight of the bundles. With this in mind, there has been a great demand and need for bundling apparatus and techniques for packing paper bags which are capable of producing a compact and compressed bundle that will occupy only a minimum amount of space. Several attempts have been made to construct, develop and distribute bundling machines of this type. These machines, however have failed or have been ineffective for one reason or another.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED, APPLICATIONS In the application for United States Letters Patent Ser. No. 718,292, filed on Feb. 19, 1968 of which the present application constitutes a continuation-impart, a bundling machine is disclosed which is Satisfactory for many purposes. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it would be desirable to have the machine offer further advantages such as the ability to produce both long-pack bundles and standard pack bundles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a bag bundling machine which may be coupled to the discharge end of a bag-making machine, and which will satisfy the needs and demands of the trade and one which is capable of efficiently bundling in compressed condition a predetermined number of paper bags either in standard or long pack bundles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bag bundling machine of this type in which improved mechanisms are incorporated for removing and stacking the individual bags produced by the bag-making machine; for rotating alternate stacks in opposite directions to alternate the location of the bag bottoms in relation to the bag tops; for transferring the alternate stacks to a transporter and while the stacks are being transferred for compressing the stacks to remove most of the entrapped air therein and to invert each stack so that the bottom of each bag faces upward for easy inspection of the bottom and the printed side of the bag; for transporting the alternately arranged stacks to a bundler; for lifting the stacks to an elevated position; for compressing 'the stacks to a prescribed volume following the accumulation of a predetermined number of stacks arranged in either regular or longpack bundles; and for applying a wrapping band to the compressed bundle.

These and other objects and advantages are effectively attained by the improved bag-bundling machine of this invention which is adapted to be coupled directly to the discharge end of a paper bag-making machine. After individual bags are completed and transferred to the discharge station of the bag-making machine, they are picked off and stacked. When a prescribed number of bags have been accumulated in the stack, the stack is transferred onto a turntable which is adapted to rotate and thereby orient one stack in one direction and the subsequent stack in a reverse direction and to -repeat this process so that the bottom ends of the bags of alternate stacks are opposed to the open top ends of the adjacent stacks. In this manner, when the stacks are subsequently bundled, a more uniformly dimensioned bundle is obtained. The stacks are then pushed into a transfer compressor which simultaneously compresses the individual stacks to remove most of the entrapped air therefrom and also inverts them so that the bag bottom and printed side face upward. The compressed stacks are then transferred to a transporter which conveys or transports the stacks to a first elevator Where the individual stacks are lifted to an accumulating station. When a predetermined number of stacks have been accumulated at the station, they are lifted as a bundle by a second elevator and thereafter compressed so that the bundle occupies a reduced volume. The individual stacks at the accumulating station may be arranged one directly on top of the other so as to form a standard pack (called in the trade a short pack) or the alternate stacks may be longitudinally shifted off center a distance such that the lower end of one stack overhangs the top end of the stack directly beneath and above it, thereby forming a long pack. This arrangement permits the formation of a more uniformly dimensioned bundle. The compressed bundle is then pushed to a banding station at which a band of material is wrapped around the compressed bundle and secured in a manner to assure the retention of the compressed condition of the bundle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of the paper-bag bundling machine of the present invention shown associated with a paper-bag making machine at its leading end and a bundle-banding machine:

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the paper-bag bundling machine of the present invention, only the last stage of the paper-making machine is depicted for clarity, the transfer compressor drive is depicted in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the bag-bundling machine;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a short-pack bundle of bags formed with the machine of the present invention, the bundle-band is depicted in phantom;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 depicting a longpack bundle configuration;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational sectional view taken along reference line 6 6 of FIG. 3 and depicting the turret drive system of the transfer compressor of a successful embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along reference line 7 7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational sectional view and forms a continuation of FIG. 6 through the stacker;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along reference line 

